CoSA Newsletter
Back to School
October 2025
Holiday
No School on Monday October 13th.
COSA Upcoming Performances
COSA Instrumental Music: Fall Recital
Tuesday, October 7 at 6pm
Black Box
650 D Avenue, Coronado
Tickets Available Now!
https://www.cosafoundation.org/tickets
The recital will feature a string quintet, jazz ensemble, woodwind trio, saxophone trio, and an all-new brass quintet. Several solo pianists will also be featured. The CoSA Instrumental Music Conservatory emphasizes the study of classical and jazz music. Students receive intensive training in their chosen instruments in wind, percussion, brass, jazz and string. Students also study music theory, ear training, jazz theory and improvisation, electronic music skills, composition and orchestration.
Classes are also offered in music history and culture, music technology and the music business. Students play piano, drums, violin, viola, cello, saxophone, electric guitar, tuba, trombone or any other instrument they desire to learn. CoSA Instrumental Music students are passionate about their craft, and many go on to study music in college, or continue to perform as adults.
About CoSA
Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) is San Diego County’s premier public school arts
conservatory, home to 200 scholar artists grades 9 through 12, who attend the nationally ranked Coronado High School. CoSA provides an intense, pre-professional arts education to students from Coronado and from all over San Diego, who are admitted after a competitive application/audition process. Each school day CoSA offers three or more hours of instruction, pairing young artists with educators who are also industry specialists. With a curriculum designed by professional artist/educators, students are immersed in their chosen specialty in one of six conservatories:
Classical and Contemporary Dance, Digital Arts (Animation, Filmmaking and Graphic Design), Instrumental Music, Musical Theatre & Drama, Theatre Production, Design & Management and Visual Art. CoSA is a State of California-approved Career Technical Education program
COSA Musical Theatre & Drama Presents Alice by Heart
Coronado Performing Arts Theatre
Friday, October 17 at 7pm
Saturday, October 18 at 7pm
Sunday, October 19 at 2pm
Friday, October 24 at 7pm
Saturday, October 25 at 7pm
CoSA Musical Theatre & Drama Invites Audience to Find courage, Find love, and Find a way
forward
The Coronado School of the Arts (CoSA) Musical Theatre and Drama Conservatory brings Alice
by Heart to the stage! Alice by Heart is a touching musical which explores themes of grief, loss,
and first love against the backdrop of World War II's London Blitz. The story follows Alice
Spencer and her dying friend, Alfred, as they seek refuge in an underground tube station and
use their love for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to escape the harsh realities of war. The
musical celebrates the power of imagination and friendship to help people find the courage to
move forward. While the original Alice in Wonderland is a fantasy, Alice by Heart uses the story
as a metaphor for growing up, coping with death, and navigating first love in a time of crisis.
Director, Barbara Wolf shares, “Alice By Heart one of my new favorite musicals! My students
introduced it to me two years ago, and I fell in love with it immediately! It is written by Duncan
Sheik and Steven Sater who wrote the musical “Spring Awakening” which is profound in its
meaning and beautiful in its story and music. We are all very excited to be rehearsing this
wonderful musical and then to share it. “ Alice By Heart is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
Tickets Available Now!
COSA Digital Arts: Horror Night
Tuesday, October 28 at 6pm & Thursday, October 30 at 6pm
Black Box
650 D Avenue, Coronado
Tickets Available Soon!
COSA Visual Art Exhibit at the Teen Library
Upperclassmen Fall Exhibit
Thank you River Wadleigh for curating the COSA Visual Art Exhibit at the Coronado Public Library!
Artworks will be on display thru the Fall, stop by the Teen Library during operating hours and enjoy the art!
COSA Student Highlights!
Congratulations Wendy Alcaraz from COSA Visual Art!
Wendy unveiled her start-up fashion and jewelry business "PURPOSE Upcycle." She set up shop at the VFW Summer Vendor Market, giving fabrics and styles new life with original designs.
COSA CARNIVAL WAS A BLAST!
This year COSA Celebrates 30 years of Creativity!!!
Save the Date!
March 14, 2026
at Venue808 in Downtown San Diego
Tickets will be available soon!
COSA FOUNDATION
Sending out a BIG THANK YOU to our New & Returning Coronado School of the Arts Foundation and Board Members for their dedication in supporting ALL our students!
Please join in their efforts to enrich our students' lives through the arts!
Donate
Parents https://www.cosafoundation.org/parents/
Patrons https://www.cosafoundation.org/patron-of-the-arts
CoSA Foundation
https://www.cosafoundation.org/
P.O. Box 181587
Coronado, CA 92178
501(c)(3) Tax ID#: 33-0752143
Annual COSA Headshots
High Quality Digital Copy of Professional Headshots
CoSA Families are able to purchase a High Quality Digital Copy of Professional Headshots.
Headshots are a Professional Practice for Creatives.
Acting headshots are a type of portrait photo used by actors and actresses to help them land acting roles. Typically, casting directors use headshots to help them decide whether applicants have the right “look” and charisma for a given role. Artists, Designers and Musicians also represent themselves professionally with headshots in promotional materials, media, websites and portfolios.
Headshots are a wonderful Creative Keepsake for Parents, Grandparents and Extended Family !
This week all CoSA Conservatories have been scheduled for a complimentary headshot sitting. A standard professional headshot sitting usually averages $250 and Digital Copies of headshots average at least $100.
COSA FAMILY - REDUCED PRICE: $30 Digital Copy
HOW COSA FAMILIES CAN PURCHASE: https://www.kelcasey.com/f500919488
- To purchase a CoSA headshot, once you find your student’s photo (without name card), double click on it so that it’s larger on your screen. You’ll see a “visit shop” window to your right. This is where you add the to your cart, and check out.
- Once you check out, you’ll be sent an email with the link for downloading the image without the watermark. Once purchased, you have 30 days to download the image to your files.
- The “password” is for CoSA faculty/staff, as they need access for the CoSA yearbook, as well as printing for upcoming performances/shows.
Photos can used for personal use (sharing on social media, printing, using for other art, or theatre/production/shows, etc), but may not be sent to any local media outlets, ie, newspapers, magazines, online news sites, etc.
10% of each Purchased will be Donated back to CoSA Foundation by Photographer, Kel Casey.
Calendars
CHS Bell Schedule
CUSD Calendar
CoSA Calendar
Contact Us
Coronado School of the Arts
(619) 522-4050
CHS/COSA Administration:
Karin Mellina - COSA School
Tim Kusserow - COSA Foundation
COSA Support Staff:
COSA Office Administrative Assistant, Deidre Smith
COSA Coordinator, Karrie Jackson
COSA Faculty:
Dance: Caryn Ipapo-Glass
Digital Arts: Animation/Graphic Design, Anna Woerman & Film, Michelle Evenson
Instrumental Music: Matt Heinecke
Musical Theatre & Drama: Barbara Wolf, Kim Strassburger, David McBean
Technical Theatre: Cynthia Bloodgood & Coleman Clark
Visual Arts: Karrie Jackson
Plus our fabulous Consultants, Guest Artists, Live Models and Volunteers!
COSA Foundation Board Leaders:
President, Linda Edison
Vice President, Holly Peterson
COSA Foundation Administrative Assistant, Erin Everett
Director of Development, Jenni Nesbitt
Press & Social Media, Holly Peterson
Island Youth Theatre, Stephanie Nurding
COSA Council Student Leadership Team:
President, Abigail Kim
Vice President, Haissam Kouli
Secretary, Cadence Wright
Co-Leaders of Publicity Team: Noemi Swearingen Ordonez & Eleanor McLellan
Advisor, Karrie Jackson
And THANK YOU to all our working COSA Student Interns who collaborate on our Productions and Publicity! You are truly PROs!
Follow us on Social Media to see what all the students have been up to:
